artened, Rosemary and Floyd arose soon after the sun was up,
and made a pretense at breakfast. They were given some tin cups of
black, bitter and muddy coffee, without sugar, but it was most
comforting.

"I never tasted anything better!" declared Floyd, draining the last
drops.

"Nor I," agreed his sister.

There was a movement among the Indians, and it was evident that they
were about to take to the trail again. Rosemary and Floyd wondered how
far they would thus be led into the mountains. Surely if a demand for
ransom money was to be made it must be made soon.

But then they did not know how far they were from the ranch of their
uncle, whom they had set out to visit. They might be going toward it
or away from it. They had lost all sense of direction.

Suddenly something seemed to take place down in the main camp of the
Indians that indicated a new element in the grim adventure. There were
shouts and excited cries--cries of alarm, it was very evident.

"Oh!" cried Rosemary with shining eyes. "Maybe it's a rescue party
after us?"

"I hope so!" shouted Floyd.

A moment later Mike, his face showing unmistakable signs of fear, came
rushing in, and by signs, and talk in his own tongue, of which Rosemary
and Floyd could understand a few words, he indicated that they were to
follow him.

Meanwhile the confusion and alarm in the main body of the Yaquis
increased.

What had happened?

CHAPTER XVIII

SEPARATED

Though realizing how useless it was to question Mike--useless because
she doubted if he understood her, and equally futile because he would
not bother to answer her--still Rosemary fired a volley of questions at
the Indian.

"If I had my way I'd fire a volley of bullets at him--provided I had
them to fire!" growled Floyd. But he had not, and Rosemary did not
deem this an occasion to again produce her weapon, which she was
keeping as a last resort.

Besides, Mike did not betray any specially hostile intentions. He
seemed merely anxious to get Rosemary and Floyd out of their prison
pen, so to speak, and on the move.

"But what's it all about?" demanded Rosemary. "What's the excitement,
and what's the hurry?"

For that there was excitement and an alarm, and that she and her
brother were being urged to hurry was very evident.

"Yes, what is it?" and Floyd added his demand to that of his sister.

"No _sabe_!" grunted Mike, that being his way of using his command of
Spanish to indicat